Constructive Criticism

A letter in response to Jonah Lehrer’s article (January 30, 2012)

Jonah Lehrer is right to question the efficacy of brainstorming as the key to creative success (“Groupthink,” January 30th). But he does not illuminate the difference between discouraging criticism and constructive criticism. According to Lehrer, Alex Osborn’s view of brainstorming is faulty in part because the creative process is inefficient without criticism. But what did “criticism” mean to an adman in the late nineteen-forties, working at a firm like Osborn’s B.B.D.O.? In a world where social hierarchy was everything, creating an environment of shared ownership in which all ideas were equal—even if only during a group exercise—allowed people to speak their minds without fear of being judged, castigated, or put down. At that time, constructive criticism was likely less practiced than it is today, and it remains a skill that many of us lack. Brainstorming alone may not have been responsible for Osborn’s success at B.B.D.O. He outlawed discouragement and fostered creativity and risk-taking. The difference between criticism and constructive criticism is the difference between an unsafe space where people are better off working alone for fear of being judged and a safe space where people feel comfortable exploring their creativity.

Alexandra Lakind

Brooklyn, N. Y.

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